


A Cage Called Fealty

by LadyAriadna



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 12:18:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10616772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAriadna/pseuds/LadyAriadna
Summary: How can something so beautiful be so dangerous?





	

The world is a beautiful place full of wonder and mystery. She wanted to see them all and yet she cannot. She’s a prisoner in a cage. Though she can see the ethereal sky above and the resplendent blue of the sea, she cannot touch them. She tried to reach as far as she can, not caring if her body was sore from trying too hard to get out through the small spaces of the cage. Her wings turned weak due to lack of use. She cried whenever she looked at them.

\---

Once, she can fly. Her captors let her spread her wings and take flight, but with one condition: her feet was tethered by a golden chain. The captors never let go of her chain but she was happy. Even though she was chained, she can touch the ocean, play with the birds in the sky, perch on top of the highest tree and see the wonders the world offer, at least, as far as her chain would let her.

As time went by, she grew tired of the usual scenes and she wanted to see more. _What is beyond the horizon? She thought. What can I see at the bottom of the seas? What do the stars look like up close? Where do the birds go when winter comes? Will I reach the moon?_ These are the questions she often asks as she gazes at the wonders around her. She wanted to remove the chain on her foot but it would not budge. The longer she tried to remove it, the shorter it became.

“We just want to protect you?” says her captors as they pulled her towards them, “The world is a dangerous place. We love you and we want you to stay with us.” She reckoned they were right and obediently let them shorten the chain but as soon as the moon rises, she gazes longingly at it and questions the words of her captors. _How can something so beautiful be so dangerous?_

One day, she found another one like her. He was beautiful with his strong wings as white as the clouds in the sky. She was curious about him. She was shy so she decided to just watch him from afar, sometimes hiding behind a bush as he pass by. But time came when he saw her too. She got scared and flew as far as her chains would let her. In her astonishment, he followed suit so she squeezed herself within a hollow tree.

“Don’t be scared.” He said as he slowly walked towards her, his majestic wings folded behind him. His large hands were beckoning her, “I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

Despite her fear, she looked at him and saw his brilliant blue eyes and his light brown hair. _Curious_ , she thought, _I’ve never seen eyes as blue as the ocean._

“Really?” he said with a toothy grin, “I’ve never seen someone with black wings before.”

Surprised, she covered her mouth with her hands. She must’ve voiced her thoughts out loud. She thought the man would be offended but instead, he chuckled.

“I’ll let you look at my eyes more if you come out and let me see your beautiful wings.” He said as he offered his hand to her.

“Beautiful? My wings?”

“Yes. They are.” His smile made her feel warm and slowly, she reached out and held his hand. He guided her out of her hiding place. As she looked up at him, she cannot help but be mesmerized by his eyes. 

“How long have you been here?” He asked.

“Since I was born.”

“Why do you have a chain wrapped around your foot?” He asked as he eyed the chain, confused. She looked down at her foot, remembering the words of her captors.

“To protect me.” She answered.

“From what?”

“The world.”

“How can something this beautiful be dangerous?”

She was astonished. To think there’s someone that thought the same. She did not realize that he was still holding her hand until he held it tighter. His face turned from the kind happy face to contempt.

“Who would do such a thing to you?”

Nervously, she quickly tried to pacify him. “It’s fine,” she said, “they did it out of love.”

That did not appease him however. He knelt in front of her and did his best to untangle the chain but to no avail. She smiled and reached down to him and held his hands. He looked up at her, eyes full of sadness.

Since then, he visited her every day. He brings gifts from around the world. He brought her birds of colors she did not fathom to be real. He brought her sparkling stones of every shape. He brought her fruits in different flavors. He regaled her with his adventures as he flew around the world. Each day, he did his best to remove the chain tied to her foot.

“I want you to see the wonders with your own eyes. I want you to see how beautiful your wings can be as you soar through the sky.” He said as he failed yet again to remove the chains. As the days went by, her chains got shorter and she can only fly up to the top of the trees.

“Your gifts would have to be enough.” She smiled as she held his hands, bruised from the struggle of removing the chains. “Thank you.”

He looked at her with tears in his eyes. Without second thought, he held her in his arms as tight as he can.

“I’ll set you free, I promise.”

The next day, her chains became shorter and she can no longer reach to top branches of the trees. All she can do is listen carefully for the man’s arrival. She heard footsteps and looked towards the noise, excited for his new stories. Instead, she only saw her captors, their faces filled with contained rage.

“He’s not coming.” They said as they threw tufts of feathers before her, white feathers smeared with blood.

 _No!_ She thought as she held the feathers in her arms, blood still fresh. Her body shook as she cradled them. For the first time, she cried. As she grieved and wailed, her captors pulled her chain and dragged her in a cage. Since then, she called for him. He never answered.

Time passed by and her spirit was broken and her captors knew so as they visited her. They cut the chains knowing she would not have the will to fly.

“Your wings are useless now.” They said as they stood behind her. “It’s time that you marry another man, have kids and continue the legacy. But first, your wings… would have to be removed… as we did to ours.” And without further ado, they ripped her black wings apart. Her cries of pain echoed throughout the forest. But, as with the others before her, her cries quieted down as time went by.

Her captors left her, for how long, she did not know. She remained silent all through the days. Despite the open door of her cage, she did not leave. This time, after so long, she finally moved. She saw the chain by her feet, took it and, with enough strength, climbed to the top of the cage. She tied one end at the top and the other end around her neck. By the light of the moon and the memory of her beloved, she let go.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the very first short story I'll release to the world. Please be gentle... Unbeta'd so there may be some mistakes.


End file.
